The Hornets are 21-14, and if we’re going to be honest, most of us would’ve taken that if presented with it as a 35-game option entering the season. New Orleans didn’t saunter into the season on the belief it would be challenging for a top four seed in the Western Conference playoff race.

Its 11-1 start was a plus, but the downside was a heightened level of expectation that, in hindsight, wasn’t realistic.

But while New Orleans can’t be counted on to win 11 out of every 12 games, it can have games like the most recent three. It absolutely can have nights, against struggling have-nots like Philly (13-21), where it asserts itself and tamps down embers before they combust into something uncontrollable.

The 76ers led the entire first quarter, then were held to six of 25 shooting from the field in the second quarter. With that, a 26-23 deficit entering the quarter became a 43-40 halftime lead, and a 68-58 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

“We knew they were going to fight because they’re an NBA team,” the Hornets’ David West said. “We kept our poise, though. CP made some plays down the stretch, and we were able to seal it with good defense.”

No, it wasn’t the same as grinding up Utah. But the standings don’t make distinctions between victories; they all register the same in black and white, and they’re especially pleasant-looking for a team whose record had shriveled to four games above .500 before its recent spurt.

While Paul was busy moving past Monday night, it wouldn’t hurt to remember that the Hornets weren’t even comparable to the outfit that lost by 18 on the road against the 76ers. New Orleans had just four assists in that game, an NBA season low, but was credited with an assist on its first eight baskets in the rematch.

Paul controlled the second half, scoring 13 of his 15 points, and the Hornets watched Philly shave a 13-point New Orleans lead to three in the fourth quarter before polishing off the win.

It still is impossible to say with any certainty who and what the Hornets are. The inconsistency has been confounding to the untrained eye, so there’s no telling the amount of consternation it has caused inside the locker room, where more than a few perfectionists linger.

We do have enough of a sampling to know that the Hornets can be very good, and always competitive, when they play with urgency. There wasn’t 48 minutes of it against Philadelphia, but there was enough to get by.

“We needed to get this one,” West said. “We have a tough stretch of games coming up. It’s about continuing what we’ve been doing and trying to put some wins together.”